The head of Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras has stated that a lack of skilled labour continues to be a "big challenge for the country".

Coming as president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has predicted a sustained period of growth for the South American nation, with gross domestic product set to grow by five per cent a year between now and 2010, Jose Sergio Gabrielli pointed to a widespread lack of civil and construction engineers affecting the prospects of the oil and gas industry in addition to sectors such as manufacturing and even banking.

"The lack of availability of technical ability may be a constraint on growth, no doubt about it," he told the New York Times this week.

The comments come on the back of a study carried out last year by Brazil's National Confederation of Industry which found that more than half of the companies questioned said that they couldn't find the skilled workers they needed.

"Some of our big clients in the oil and gas sector have 40 to 50 job openings and they can’t fill them," added Paulo Pontes, managing director of headhunting firm Michael Page International.

The report added that such a situation is leading many companies "into the educational business", with some offering on-the-job training as well as investing in schools and colleges for the long-term future.